Gensokyou Haunting
by Captain Vulcan
Summary: A mysterious demon has risen from a unexpected place. Like a ghost in the dark, the culprit is silently working its way to take over Gensokyou. Kasen seems scared and Reimu just don't care. And what is Marisa angry about?


Happy Halloween, dudes and dudettes! Please bear in mind that this isn't a one-shot.

**DISCLAIMER:** The Touhou Project is a series of vertical-scrolling 'bullet hell' shooters that is created by ZUN of Shanghai Alice. Therefore, he is the owner of the series. The presentation that you're about to read is in no way affiliated with ZUN, Shanghai Alice, and any other publishers of the series' canonical work. This fanfic is a non-profit piece for entertainment only.

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**STORY RATING: PG-13/T for Teens – **This fic contains mild language, innuendo, comic mischief, and a ghastly scenario.

**TOUHOU PROJECT**

**GENSOKYOU HAUNTING**

**Epilogue**

Marisa Kirisame arrived on the consecrated grounds of the Hakurei Shrine. The young witch dismounted her broom and noticed a few pumpkins on the veranda. Grinning to herself, Marisa approached the shrine and grabbed one of them. Due to the fact that Halloween was a few days away, seeing them at the shrine was surprisingly appropriate. _Looks like Reimu is gettin' into the spirit of Trick or Treating this year. I guess I'll take one of these off her hands. One less pumpkin shouldn't hurt._

"Put that back where you found it," an apparently impatient voice commanded.

The witch did what she was told. Judging from the tone of voice, she concluded that it was just one of those days. "Yo! How's it goin', Reimu? And what's up with all of the pumpkins on your yard?"

The dark-haired cutie sighed. "They were donations from Minoriko," she replied. Reimu Hakurei was dressed in her usual (modified) red-white _mikogi – _noticeably her detached sleeves, ascot, and mid-length skirt. She wore a pair of black tube socks and sandals on her small feet. For a shrine maiden that sentries a realm that is spiritually in the 1800s, Reimu's fashion sense was pretty chic. "She insisted that I keep them – knowing that it's close to Halloween and all."

Marisa studied the younger girl's surly expression and assumed that she probably arrived at a bad time. The shrine maiden probably didn't know much about Halloween, but Marisa thought that she may come to appreciate the holiday in due time. For the most part, lots of candies and other types of sweets are involved. And Reimu loved sweets… even more so than an obese child.

"Yea, about that… you're goin' to make Jack-O-Lanterns outta em?" Marisa wondered.

"I doubt it," Reimu said as she lifted an abnormally large pumpkin. "They're going to end up my meals for the next few days. I've always wanted to try pumpkin pie, anyway."

"Oh-ho! You're making pies, huh? I can help you bake a few of em, ze."

Reimu knitted her brows. "Hmm… no thanks, Marisa. I'll pass. The last time you helped me with my cooking, I got really high. I was so high, I thought I was smoking dope with a few of my dead ancestors." She went inside the shrine to stock the pumpkin.

Marisa nodded her head with a chuckle. "You're totally not feeling the Halloween thing, aren't ya?"

"That's right," the miko said after she returned from inside her den. "What's the point of having a lot of candy when you have to give them away to a bunch of hyperactive kids? And if that's not weird enough, they're all dressed up as youkai and all kinds of monsters from all over the world." Reimu left out a very specific part: when Yukari visited the shrine while pissy drunk and wearing a catsuit last Halloween.

She smiled at the memory.

"And that's why the great Reimu Hakurei doesn't celebrate Halloween, ze." Marisa quipped. "What a fascinating story! Aya would probably drip herself dry if she heard this."

Reimu gazed at her longtime rival in annoyance. The witch was wearing her usual black-white wardrobe, complete with a frilly apron and witch hat. Her footgear consisted of white bobby socks and black Mary Janes - the classic teenage girl fashion. Marisa's hair was wavy and it reached the center of her back. Despite her feminine appearance, it was a fair contrast to her decidedly tomboyish personality. Realizing that she was looking at the witch a bit too hard, Reimu said, "Shut up and give me a hand. I want you to put a few of the pumpkins inside the storehouse."

Marisa tilted her head cutely. "A little blunt aren't you? What's the magic word?"

"Now," Reimu remarked dismissively as she carried two of the pumpkins inside the shrine.

"Your wish is my command." Marisa remarked sarcastically. She gathered two of the spuds on the steps and ambled off to the stockroom near the shrine. Fortunately for her, the door wasn't locked and she used her shoulder to open it. Entering the shack, she nearly tripped over a cardboard box full of paper charms. The storehouse was pretty messy. A lot of stuff was laid out carelessly across the small space. _That damn lazy Reimu… she definitely needs to tidy up this shack a bit. I coulda fell and broke my neck just now._

Muttering to herself, Marisa placed the pumpkins near an old donation box in a corner of the shack. With that favor out of the way, she looked around the place for something she can 'borrow'. "Hmm… let's see… a box full of sake bottles… a few old issues of the Bunbunmaru… damn, guess there ain't a thing in here worth snatching."

Marisa decided to leave the storehouse without stealing anything. She turned on her feet and accidentally stepped on an unsuspecting garden tool. The wooden staff of the tool flew up and smacked her right in the face.

**WAP!**

"Oww!" Marisa cried, recoiling in pain. She knocked over a small statue of a kirin, a cute android, and fell on top of the donation box. Her nose was now bleeding and tears welled up in her eyes. "Ugh… that really hurt."

Thankfully, no one was there to witness her setback right now. If so, one would get to see her small side-tie panties. She gathered herself off the box with a grunt and held her nose. The pain from the rake stung like hell! If Marisa would have known that this place was hazardous then it was no wonder that Reimu sent her here in the first place! "I am going to cuss Reimu's ass out! She knew that this place is a death trap!"

And just as Marisa was about to go see Reimu and call her everything but a child of God… an urn fell on her head. The urn shattered into many pieces on impact. It was a small dark-brown colored vessel with a seal on it. The urn must have tittered off the edge of a shelf when Marisa fell. Marisa didn't like pain. She wasn't good at coping with it. Her face hurt, her nose was probably broken, and a pink knot sprouted on the top of her head. "Got… damn it! Nobody shouldn't have to go through this bullcrap…" she groaned painfully.

Marisa marched out the shack in indignation. Reimu was gathering the last of Minoriko's donations off the veranda. When Marisa returned into her field of vision she gasped. "What in the world? Marisa, what happened to you in there?"

Marisa glared at Reimu, a small smirk of malice forming on her lips. "You're really cute, you know that? That was slick Reimu – very slick."

Reimu grew genuinely concerned but she was trying her best not to laugh at that big ass knot on the witch's head. "What are you talking about? You look as bad as that time when Tenshi hit you with a keystone."

"A was smacked in the face by a hoe, Reimu!" Marisa complained, pointing to the storehouse. "There are all kinds of messy tricks in that trap house!"

The younger girl stifled a giggle. "You really should pay attention to the choice of words that are coming out of your mouth right now, Marisa."

"And you should really get rid of Rokuuto," Marisa continued with wonton disregard. "Seriously, why do you keep that broad around anyway? All that she is good for is looking cute and lying on her back!"

And then Reimu lost it; she broke out in unrestrained laughter. "Pfft! Hahahahahaha!" She even fell on the ground.

"Hey! What's so damn funny?" Marisa demanded. Seeing Reimu laugh at her pain kinda hurt.

The dark-haired girl recovered from her mirth. "I'm sorry, Marisa. I… tee-he, couldn't help but laugh at what you were saying. Your apparent pain may not be the laughing matter but your words were." She rose from the floor and dusted off her skirt.

Marisa pouted. "You really should straighten the mess you have in the storehouse, Reimu. That place is too dangerous for man, woman, AND youkai."

Reimu beckoned for the witch to enter the shrine. "Okay, I'll get to straightening it out as soon as I have the chance. Why don't you come on inside so that I can relieve you, okay?"

And then, it was Marisa's turn to burst out in laughter. "Aaaah-hahahahaha!"

The outburst confused Reimu. "Huh? What's so funny?" Right after asking the important question, the realization hit her. "Oh… such innuendo…" she blushed.

Marisa winked and gave a thumbs-up. "And at your own expense, ze!"

The Fantastic Flying Maiden made an expression of annoyance and pointed inside her den. "Just… enter already, Marisa." She muttered after a dramatic sigh.

The giggling witch followed the red-white miko inside the shrine. With the main heroines out of the scene, something odd happened. It was something… rather sinister. During the seemingly peaceful evening at the Hakurei Shrine, a dark presence appeared. And with no one around to confirm its existence, the presence took on a form… or at least, partly so. A shadow slithered from the storehouse besides the shrine. Even though it was dusk, the shadow was still visible. And that wasn't the only thing visible…

If anyone was there at the moment, one can see the big evil grin on its face.

"_**I'm free…"**_

An owl flew by the shrine, delivering an unexpected gift to the demonic presence.

"_**Ugh! How dare that cretin take a shit on me!?"**_ The shadow moaned in disgust. _**"No matter, let's see if I'm still adept in the art of murder."**_

**KASEN'S MANSION**

"Y'know, I've met the most interesting person the other day." Komachi said as her eyes darted over a checkerboard. "He was a real odd fella."

Kasen nodded. She was patiently waiting for the big woman to make her next move. The _shinigami_ had been visiting her a lot lately. Truth be told, she didn't mind her visits but they were becoming increasingly frequent. Kasen wondered about Komachi sometimes. She knew that Komachi was a slouch but she had a feeling that her superiors may become wary of her visits. The last thing she wanted was a leggy Yama barging into her abode in a bad mood. "Hmm… is that right?"

"Yea, he was killed by Rumia." Komachi revealed, moving a chess piece. "What made him so weird that he actually had a longtime crush on her – every since he was a little kid at that. He knew how dangerous she is to humans but he didn't care. So after nearly twenty years of silence, he finally spotted Rumia and confessed his love to her. And you can probably guess what happened next."

The pink-haired hermit sighed. "You shouldn't speak ill of the dead, Komachi." She took her turn and jumped two of the _shinigami's _chess pieces.

"Hey, I'm not speaking ill of the guy. I'm gossiping about him – that much is true. But he was still weird." Komachi moved another piece. "I mean, why would a human fall in love with a man-eating type youkai in the first place? He knew the risks of what he was getting into."

"Its true love then," Kasen nodded her head. "That type of love knows no bounds. It knows no color, species, or shape. I think it was pretty noble of him to seek her-" The youthful hermit stopped mid-sentence with a gasp. She sensed something unsettling all of a sudden. "What in the world was that? Komachi, did you sensed anything just now?"

"Hah? I didn't sense anything." Komachi replied, nonchalantly moving another piece on the board. "What's the matter? It looks like you saw a ghost."

Kasen bit her thumb. Something was on the move. Whatever this presence was, it was crafty. Her _shinigami _guest couldn't even sense it. That in itself was an impressive feat. And what's even more unsettling about it is the fact that it was coming from the Hakurei Shrine. "You mean to tell me that you don't feel any presence? Something's weird is going on."

Komachi noticed the hermit's worried expression. Whatever Kasen was talking about, it surely had her on edge. "Hey, calm down a bit. Where are you sensing it from?"

"From the Hakurei Shrine," Kasen revealed without hesitation.

"Hmm… is that right?" Komachi wondered. She gazed in the general direction of the Hakurei Shrine and took a deep breath, concentration. Her beyond impressive bosom nearly doubled in size as she did so. "No. I still don't sense anything from there," she exhaled. "It could be Yukari goofing around there again for all we know."

Kasen disagreed. "It's not Yukari. First off, you can sense her when she's around you. Second… whatever it is… it's evil – purely so."

Komachi reclined on her chair and crossed her legs. "Is that right? An evil spirit, huh? Don't worry too much about it. Dealing with those shouldn't be a problem for you."

"No. This isn't your everyday run-of-the-mill evil spirit… this one is powerful."

The Amazon was a little surprised to see how the hermit seems to be right now. "Whoa… it has to be one strong spirit to give you this much pause."

Kasen gulped down her trepidation. She certainly hoped that the freak spirit isn't too much for her to handle. "I'm heading over there. We're going to have to resume our game later."

**HAKUREI SHRINE**

"Just be a bit more careful the next time you go in there." Reimu advised, leading Marisa outside the shrine. "I don't have any money, so it wouldn't do much good if you tried to sue me."

"That's some kinda joke? You're the one who needs to be more careful, Reimu." Marisa remarked, donning on her witch hat. The swelling on her head was gone and there was a bandage across the bridge of her nose. "Someone can get killed in there."

Reimu turned to face the slightly shorter girl with a cute smile. "Ooh, once again, sorry about that. But be damned if it wasn't funny."

Marisa gave off a dry laugh of sarcasm. "Harr-harr… a million laughs, Reimu." She unfastened her broom off her back and mounted it. "I guess I've dispelled your shitty mood from earlier."

Reimu blushed guiltily. Every since the witch's mishap in the shack, she did felt better than she did from before. "Fu-ha! I'm not gonna lie… seeing your face torn up like that is pretty much the highlight for today."

"Whatever – I'm outta here," said the now grouchy witch. She slowly levitated off the ground and took off towards the Magical Forest. "Biiiiiitch~!"

"I love you, too, Marisaaa~!" Reimu yelled, laughing hysterically.

"Eh? You finally decided to confess to your long time friend?" A pleasant voice said. "That's mighty sweet of you, Reimu."

Reimu turned to gaze at the source of the voice from atop of the shrine. "You, what are you doing here? I don't feel like hearing one of your sermons during this time of night, Kasen."

The beautiful peach-head was sitting on the edge of the roof with her legs crossed. "Hmm… you're as nonchalant as ever. But let's not waste time standing on ceremony and sharing sugarcoated resentments. I'm here for another reason."

"Is Seiga stalking you again?" Reimu dark humored. True, the sultry _jasen_ found Kasen fascinating, but Seiga's newfound fondness for the younger hermit was bordering on creepy.

Kasen's blushed. She somersaulted off the roof and landed before Reimu. "Of course not – what gave you that impression?"

Reimu giggled, lowering her voice to give her best impersonation of the Chinese apostle. "'Ufufufu… how goes your sutra readings, Sweet Thing? Keep up the good work. You wouldn't want any cutthroats from Hell to come out and lop your pretty little head off, okay'."

The hermit shuddered. Reimu's caricature was eerily accurate – she almost had Seiga's deep voice down to a T. "Reimu… do not do that anymore."

The Flying Girl of Fantasy persisted. "'Ooh, why not, sweetie? I'd thought you enjoy it'."

"Please. Stop. THAT!" Kasen practically growled. She underwent a very brief flashback of a blue-haired, curvy, ageless fiend imposing her personal space.

Reimu granted her mercy. "Okay then, so why are you here at this time of night? Make it quick. And it better be important, too." _I really don't want to listen to your moral mumbo-jumbo in the first place, _she thought.

The Wild and Horned Hermit looked Reimu in the eyes. The solemn look of hers indicated how serious she was. "Reimu, the reason I arrived here is because I've sense evil vibes. There was a particularly noticeable evil looming about this shrine just now."

"Marisa," Reimu said with a shrug. "Did you not see her leave here just now? She's in a pretty pissy mood. It's nothing to be concerned about."

Kasen stared at the young heroine in disbelief. How could she not sense that presence that occupied her home? Nodding her head slowly, Kasen said "It wasn't Marisa."

"If it ain't her then what in the world are you talking about?"

"Reimu, a very evil spirit was here!" Kasen exclaimed, grabbing Reimu's shoulders. "What was Marisa doing while she was here?"

Hearing that, Reimu laughed at the witch's misfortune again. "I told her to put two pumpkins in the storage house and she hurt herself in there."

The hermit's lips twisted. "The storage house, you say? Then that must mean that the being emerged from there."

The revelation sounds… absolutely ridiculous to Reimu. "Hold on, Kasen – I'm gonna hafta stop you right there." She was slowly processing what the older woman said. "Okay, let's see if I understand this: are you telling mean that some kinda evil being was here – roosting in my very own yard?"

"No doubt about it."

Reimu sighed. "My job is never done…"

"Say, you don't mind me checking the storage house for clues do you?" Kasen asked.

"Sure," Reimu deadpanned. "Why not? Here's to another nerve-wrecking incident."

Kasen sauntered off to the storage. "Perhaps we can put an end to one before it even starts?" She slowly opened the door to the shack and stepped inside. She nearly tripped over something the moment she entered. "And Reimu, you really need to tidy up this place. I can see why Marisa was set in a bad mood now."

"Okay, I'll straighten out the place the moment I get a chance," said Reimu as she followed Kasen. She carried the deactivated Rokuuto and places the android in a corner. "So what do you think happened in here?"

"Hmm…" Kasen was staring at something in particular. She sat on her thick haunches and gathered a few shards from the floor. "An urn…"

"What about it?" Reimu wondered, organizing scattered boxes neatly around the place.

"What was in it, Reimu?"

"I dunno. Maybe it had holy water or medical herbs in it… or maybe…" a slow realization was dawning on her. "… or it could have been a seal."

"I thought as much," Kasen narrowed her eyes. "Marisa must've knocked it over and accidently freed the evil being that I've sensed." She feared the worst. The evil being was roaming somewhere in Gensokyou right now. Evil spirits had the tendency to start their devilment small before going into something major. Oftentimes, Kasen always stopped them before they got to that point. Yet, this time uncertainty reigned in her mind right now. This was no ordinary evil spirit. As a matter of fact, this was the most powerful malevolence that she had detected in a long time.

"You got to be more careful, Reimu." Kasen admonished. "You seriously need to choose a place for forbidden relics more wisely."

"Hah!? It's not my fault that Marisa's goofy!"

"Fool. You should have put the urn in a far more secure spot. Thanks to your carelessness, a very bad spirit has been unleashed."

"Whatever – as long as it doesn't start any crap then it is of no concern to me." Reimu, the foolish child, said.

"Damn it, Reimu! Do you realize what you've said just now?" Kasen's expression showcased pure disbelief. "You're saying that you don't care."

Reimu placed her hands on her hips and scowled. "Of course I care! All I'm saying that the spook can haunt around Gensokyou all it want, but it better harm anyone! If so, then I'll be on it like body fat on Yuyuko's backside!"

Kasen gauged the miko's confidence carefully. "So you're not concerned about the situation… at all?"

Reimu crossed her arms over her chest then. "Nope. There's a time for everything. That evil thing will get what's coming to it in due time."

Ah, the foolishness of youth. Of course, Kasen was aware that there's foolishness of all ages but the youthful type was often the most profound. "Every action and decision has consequences, Reimu. And I fear you've made an unwise one."

Her eyes twitched in annoyance. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Reimu growled, marching out of the storeroom. "You're being a thorn in my side."

Despite Reimu's harsh tone, Kasen smiled. "How fitting… I am a rose, after all." She followed the miko outside and gazed at the violet-colored sky. It was too peaceful this evening. With the serene setting it was easy to forget that there's a big evil brewing around the place.

"Well…" Reimu droned impatiently.

Kasen sighed and slowly walked past the shrine maiden. But before she dismissed herself she looked back over her shoulder. "Reimu… I'm going to look into this before it gets out of hand. The spirit that had been set free is no ordinary one. So if anything happens to me… it's all on your conscience."

Reimu gasped and turned around to give the taller woman a retort but she was already gone. She clenched her hands into fists and blushed in anger. Damn that woman! How dare she demoralize her about something that was beyond her control!? "Well thanks for your vote of confidence, Miss Self-righteous Hermit!" Reimu screamed to the sky. "Why don't you go home and meditate on that, huh!?"

The surly mood from before was revived. She stomped back towards her shrine furiously, cursing Kasen's ways.

_Stupid sexy Kasen…_

Several moments after the shrine maiden went inside her shrine, an owl arrived. It perked on top of the _tori _arch and surveyed the scene. But what was weird about the owl was the large visible wound across its body. And that's not all – the creature's eyes were glowing.

True, owls are creepy birds but their eyes don't glow like the ones on this one did.

"_**Oh-ho, how interesting," **_said the disembodied voice from the wounded animal. _**"So much resentment among them. It should make things much easier. I doubt that Gensokyou is ready for me! Ufufufu~…"**_

The owl flew off into the night, setting its plan into action.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Who in the hell is soon to be villain? And why did it kill that poor ole owl? Stay tuned…_


End file.
